Department for Transport

Air Routes

lord forsyth of drumlean: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 20 December (HL12400), why the domestic services considered in the paperare limited to Heathrow; why services from London City Airportare not subject to review; and what assessment they have made of the distribution of landing slots between carriers.

baroness sugg: Heathrow Airport is mentioned specifically as there has been a fall in domestic air connectivity into Heathrow in recent years due to the lack of capacity. Expansion at Heathrow Airport will mean for the first time a significant number of additional slots being released at a severely congested airport in the UK. The Government has also confirmed that it is supportive of all UK airports beyond Heathrow making best use of their existing runways, subject to proposals being assessed in light of environmental and economic impacts. The current slot allocation process is set out in EU and UK legislation and is based on the guiding principles set out in IATA’s Worldwide Slot Guidelines. Slots in the UK are allocated by an independent co-ordinator so the Government does not complete assessments of the distribution of landing slots across UK airports. However, as I set out in my answer of 18 December, the Government is currently seeking views on reforming the process for allocating new slots through the Aviation Strategy Green Paper. The paper was published in December and the consultation closes on 11 April.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their current estimate of the total cost of the construction of HS2.

baroness sugg: At the Spending Review in 2015, the Government restated the long-term funding envelope for delivery of the full HS2 scheme of £55.7bn (2015 prices), of which £27.18bn was allocated to Phase One and £28.55bn for Phase Two. We remain committed to deliver HS2 within budget with cost targets to be set for HS2 Ltd to deliver the programme below this amount. HS2 Ltd remain focussed on challenging programme costs, actively seeking to deliver the absolute best value for money to the UK tax payer.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many properties have been affected by HS2; and what is the total cost of compensation paid to the owners of those properties.

lord framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many claims for compensation for owners of land and property for the construction of HS2 have yet to be finalised; and what is the total outstanding.

baroness sugg: Statutory compensation is payable to eligible businesses and residential owners where part, or all, of their land is directly affected by plans for HS2. A total of 1,357 properties are located in the direct footprint of the railway, railway infrastructure, or related works where statutory compensation is payable. The Government has introduced a comprehensive package of statutory and non-statutory schemes to support owners of properties impacted by HS2. As at 30 November 2018, at total of £1.95 billion has been paid under these schemes. The amount of compensation outstanding is dependent on the number of successful claims yet to be made across all three phases of HS2.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have finalised plans to link HS2 to Euston station and its surrounding infrastructure.

baroness sugg: HS2 Ltd’s station designers and Main Works sub-contractors are in the process of developing the designs for the High Speed 2 Euston Station and approaches. HS2 Ltd will continue to work closely with Network Rail and Lendlease, the Euston Master Development Partner, to develop integrated designs which optimise the opportunities for the Euston area as whole. This is a process that will continue for some time as the details of the plans are finalised to the satisfaction of our wider stakeholders.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what quantity of spoil will be generated by HS2 construction work at Euston station; and how they plan to deal with its removal.

baroness sugg: HS2 Ltd is currently undertaking design and construction planning at Euston Station to confirm the quantities of excavated material that will be required to be removed. The High Speed Rail (London to West Midlands) Act 2017 lays out how the excavated material will be removed by road. HS2 Ltd is committed to remaining within the Environmental Minimum Requirements as laid out in the Bill. HS2 Ltd is also required by the Secretary of State to investigate the potential for removing material by rail from Euston Station, to be implemented if the impact on the HS2 programme can be mitigated. HS2 Ltd will report its findings to the DfT in due course.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many trees have been felled to date in London to facilitate the construction of HS2.

baroness sugg: More than 650 hectares of new woodland will be planted between London and Birmingham as part of the first phase of HS2. A contract was awarded in 2016 to grow 7 million trees and shrubs. We have also established a £5 million woodland fund to create new native, broadleaf woodland, and enhance existing ancient woodland.However, it is inevitable in the construction of a new project that trees will need to be felled. HS2 Ltd has to date removed117 trees in the London Borough of CamdenOne tree in the London Borough of Ealing.3.6 hectares of vegetation has been cleared in the London Borough of Hillingdon(outside the centre of London the area of vegetation removed is recorded rather than the number of individual trees).

Electric Vehicles

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential contribution of electric scooters to a reduction in air pollution; andwhether they plan to introduce legislation to enable the use of electric scooters on public roads or pavements.

baroness sugg: The Government recognises the public’s interest in, and the potential environmental value of, e-scooters. But it is also under an obligation to ensure that they are built and can be operated safely, both for their riders and for other road users. Whilst e-scooters can be used on private property (with the landowner’s permission), in general it is illegal to ride them on the road. This includes in cycle lanes, or tracks, or on the pavement.The Department for Transport ran a Call for Evidence in 2018 as part of the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge, which closed on 10 September 2018. It is now considering next steps on this issue, and is working to define the scope of a Regulatory Review looking at how the UK can take full advantage of this and other changes in technology. The scope of the review will be set out later this year.

Diesel Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to publicise the results of roadside testing programmes for the latest models of diesel cars as part of their work to raise public awareness of emission levels.

baroness sugg: The Department for Transport’s Market Surveillance Unit undertakes an annual emissions testing programme of a range of road vehicles, including diesel cars. This includes laboratory testing and on-road measurement using portable emissions equipment to ensure that vehicles are compliant with relevant standards. The programme does not include roadside testing of vehicles. Results of the 2018 programme will be published in early 2019.

Railways: North of England

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherplans for the upgrade and electrification of the Transpennine rail route include provision for growth in the level of freight traffic; and if not, why not.

baroness sugg: The £2.9bn the Government is spending on the TransPennine route can accommodate growth through the provision of more capacity.

Caledonian Sleeper Rail Franchise

lord steel of aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Scotland about when the Caledonian Sleeper train carriages were originally expected to be in service; and when they are now expected to be so.

baroness sugg: Under the devolved arrangements relating to the railways in Scotland, the Caledonian Sleeper service is solely the responsibility of the Scottish Government and operates under a franchise procured by Scottish Ministers. It has therefore not been the subject of substantive discussions between the Scottish and UK Governments in recent years.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Nigeria: Violence

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the remarks by the Bishop of Gboko Diocese in Nigeria, William Amove Avenya, about the level of violence committed by Fulani tribesmen and the inadequacy of the response to it.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the remarks by the Bishop of Gboko Diocese in Nigeria, William Amove Avenya, about the response of the international community to violence committed by Fulani tribesmen.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are deeply concerned by the ongoing ‎violence across Nigeria and the devastating impact it has had on affected communities. We regularly raise the issue with both the Federal Government and the governments of affected states to express our concerns about clashes between pastoralists and farmers of all faiths. Urgent action is needed by the Nigerian authorities to prevent further loss of life and we encourage the government to address the underlying causes and develop a solution that meets the needs of all affected communities. The UK continues to explore options for how we could best assist the Nigerian government in achieving this. The Prime Minister discussed the violence between pastoralists and farmers with President Buhari during her visit to Nigeria, emphasising the need to tackle the crisis through mediation and reconciliation, eschewing religious rhetoric.

Alex Badeh

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have about the assassination of Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, the former Chief of Defence Staff in Nigeria.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We do not hold information related to the death of Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh. We welcome commitments by the Government of Nigeria to conduct a thorough investigation and to take appropriate action against any person held responsible.

Nigeria: Violence

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Institute for Economics and Peace Global Terrorism Index 2018, published in December, and its finding that nearly 1,700 violent deaths have been attributed to Fulani extremists from January to September 2018.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: As the statistics demonstrate, there has been a tragic escalation in intercommunal clashes in Nigeria this year and we have noted with increasing concern the actions of the Fulani violence against farmers. We share the assessment in the Global Terrorism Index 2018 report by the Institute for Economics and Peace that, at its core, herder-farmer violence in Nigeria revolves around the economic plight resulting from the worsening drought and land degradation in Nigeria's northern regions. Urgent action is needed by the Nigerian authorities to prevent further loss of life and we encourage the government to address the underlying causes and develop a solution that meets the needs of all affected communities.

Iran National Steel Industrial Group: Arrests

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reported raids by Iranian intelligence and security forces on the homes of representatives of workers of Ahvaz Steel National Industrial Group and subsequent arrests; and whether they intend to make representations to the government of Iran about those raids.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The steelworkers have been on strike for over 40 days, with the presence of riot police reportedly increasing over the last week, and a total of 30 steelworkers currently being detained. Several Members of the Iranian Parliament have now asked the Labour Minister and Khuzestan governor to secure the release of those arrested. The British Government continues to raise concerns about the treatment of demonstrators and protesters, and the severe restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly.

Diplomatic Service: Debts

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the WrittenStatement byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 18 December (HLWS1171), what steps they are taking to recover debts owed by diplomatic missions and international organisations in the UK; and what assessment they have made of the use of other deterrents, such as clamping or impounding diplomatic vehicles, to punish the offending organisations and missions.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, among other authorities, frequently presses diplomatic missions and international organisations to pay outstanding parking fines, National Non-Domestic Rates and Congestion Charge debt. The Director of Protocol raises the issue in his introductory meetings with new Heads of Mission whose missions are in debt to the relevant authorities. Protocol Directorate writes to such missions and international organisations giving them the opportunity to either pay their outstanding debts, or appeal against specific fines if they consider that they have been issued incorrectly. Two thirds of all diplomatic missions pay the London Congestion Charge, but as diplomatic missions and diplomats are immune from prosecution in UK courts without a waiver of immunity which can only be granted by the sending State, there is no legal course of action which Her Majesty's Government or local authorities can take to enforce payment of the Congestion Charge or parking fines.Diplomatic vehicles cannot be clamped or otherwise impounded, enjoying immunity in international law.

EU Reform

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposals by Thomas Piketty in the Manifesto for the Democratization of Europe, published on 9 December.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Given the UK is leaving the EU on 29 March, the publication will become a matter for the EU to consider. The UK remains committed to an ongoing close relationship with the EU.

Government Hospitality: Wines

lord jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 19 December (HL12075), whether they will now answer the question put namely, in relation to the annual report for the Government's hospitality wine cellar, what saving they estimate might be made by substituting English and Welsh wines with comparable wines from elsewhere.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We do not hold details of the exact savings which might be made by substituting English and Welsh wines with comparable wines from elsewhere. This would be very much dependent on the alternative comparable wines available at the time, the types of functions we were looking to use them for and the volume in which we were looking to procure them – potential economies of scale etc. However, as detailed in the Wine Cellar Annual Report, we estimate that in 2017/18 English and Welsh wine made up 57% of all Wine Cellar wine consumed in 2017/2018. The average cost of each bottle of English/Welsh wine used was around £12.96. Whereas, the overall average price of each bottle used from other countries in the same period was £12.82. However, as already mentioned the cellar has been, and continues to be, a firm supporter of the UK wine industry in line with wider Government objectives to support British business and produce. Consequently, whilst English and Welsh wines might be more expensive than some alternatives from elsewhere, the differential is sufficiently small that we believe that this still represents good value for money in the proper expenditure of taxpayers' money.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Written Questions

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training they provide to officials drafting responses to parliamentary written questions in the Department for International Development.

lord bates: DFID’s Parliamentary Team provide regular training and outreach sessions throughout the year to officials preparing written answers to submit to Ministers in response to parliamentary questions.

Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bates on 20 December (HL12099), whether they will now answer the question put, whether, and if so when, they intend to sign the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

lord bates: The UK Government is supportive of the United Nations’ Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, both as a step forward in international co-operation to tackle irregular migration and as a framework to help us deliver our commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals. The Secretary of State announced the UK’s support for the Migration Compact at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2018, and Minister Burt attended the intergovernmental launch event in Marrakesh in December 2018.   The UK voted in favour of the UN General Assembly Resolution to adopt the Compact on 19th December 2018 and issued an Explanation of Vote to set on the record its interpretation of the text. A summary of the Explanation can be found on the UN website at: https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/ga12113.doc.htm   Well-managed migration is in everyone’s interests. But uncontrolled migration erodes public confidence, damages economies, and places people on the move in situations of great vulnerability. The UK is taking significant steps to tackle uncontrolled migration both in our domestic policy work and in our ODA-funded programmes by:   Addressing factors that may force people to migrate irregularly, through our targeted assistance for livelihoods, healthcare, and education and driving economic development;Tackling modern slavery and organised immigration crime;Supporting enhanced border management;Providing critical humanitarian support and protection for vulnerable migrants, as well as offering voluntary return and vital reintegration support to those wishing to return home; andSupporting refugees to stay in a first safe country through our humanitarian and development work in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.   The Global Compact for Migration supports delivery of these efforts within the international system and enhances cooperation between states without affecting the sovereignty of all countries to control their own borders. The Compact will not in any way create legal obligations for States, nor does it seek to establish international customary law or further interpret existing treaties or national obligations. It does not establish a ‘human right to migrate’ or create any new legal categories of migrant. The GCM emphasises that migrants are entitled to the same universal human rights as any human being and does not create any new ‘rights’ for migrants.   The Compact commits to protecting freedom of expression for the press and public. The freedom of the media to debate all issues of importance to society, including the issue of migration in all its aspects, is fundamental to a liberal society and the UK Government attaches the highest importance to this.   It also includes proposals which will help the UK make a strong contribution to the delivery of the global Sustainable Development Goals. This includes those relating to orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people; and those intended to eradicate forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking, and child labour.   The final draft of the Compact is available online at: https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/sites/default/files/180711_final_draft_0.pdf

Department for Education

Offences against Children: Rotherham

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will launch an inquiry into the removal of children from survivors of sexual exploitation in Rotherham; and if so, when.

lord agnew of oulton: The government has no plans to launch an inquiry into the removal of children from survivors of sexual exploitation in Rotherham.The attached report ‘Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation’, published in March 2015, and the attached follow-up report ‘Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation: Progress Report’, published in February 2017, set out a national response to the failures seen in Rotherham and elsewhere, where children were let down by the very people who were responsible for protecting them. We have prioritised child sexual abuse as a national threat to empower police forces to maximise their skills and expertise in order to tackle these crimes.We are committed to ensuring that victims receive quality support when and where they need it. In each of the last three years, the government has provided £7 million in funding for non-statutory organisations supporting victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.The government wants every child to be in a stable, loving home that is right for them. One of the key principles of the legislation which underpins the UK’s child protection system is that children are best looked after within their families. However, as a last resort after other steps to support the child to remain safely at home have failed, local authorities may apply to the independent courts for a decision about removing a child from their family. In making their decision about each individual case, the courts must be satisfied that the threshold for significant harm has been met and that taking the child from his or her family’s care will be in the child’s best interests.



Tackling_Child_Sexual_Exploitation_Report_February
(PDF Document, 248.11 KB)




Tackling_Child_Sexual_Exploitation_Progress_Report
(PDF Document, 718.95 KB)

Ministry of Justice

Offences against Children

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they provide to impartial advocacy services to help the families of victims of grooming gangs.

lord keen of elie: This Government attaches the highest priority to tackling grooming and all forms of sexual exploitation and to ensuring that all victims, whether they are a child or an adult, get the protection and support they need. Impartial advocacy for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, and their families, is a key part of this, and is integral to the support the Government funds, including the role of Independent Sexual Violence Advisors. In each of the last three years the Government has allocated around £7.2m in funding to sexual violence support services to provide independent, specialist support to female and male victims of sexual violence, including victims of child sexual abuse. This includes £1.7m to rape support services across England and Wales to provide specialist support to victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation. A further £4.7m has been allocated to Police and Crime Commissioners specifically to commission services supporting victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation. From April 2019, rape and sexual abuse support services will receive an £800,000 increase in funding, allowing them to help more victims of sexual violence (including recent and non-recent child sexual abuse), often including but not restricted to funding of ISVAs.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to assist private owner occupiers of properties that have hazardous cladding.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government’s priority is to ensure that residents of high-rise buildings above 18 metres with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems are, and feel, safeA joint expert inspection team will support local authorities in ensuring, and, where necessary, enforcing remediation of private sector high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding systems. To support the work of the inspection team, Government has made further funding available up to £1 million.Officials continue to engage with developers, building owners and managing agents with responsibility for buildings with unsafe ACM cladding systems to ensure that they are fully remediated as quickly as possible. We have written to all relevant private sector building owners reminding them of their responsibilities towards making their buildings safe, and the Secretary of State has set his strong expectation that leaseholders should be protected from the costs of remediation.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Disability

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that disabled people receive sufficient support to make a claim for Universal Credit if they are unable to access the internet at home or at public internet locations.

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote alternative ways for disabled people to make a claim for Universal Credit apart from an online application.

baroness buscombe: Anyone who need helps making their claim online can call our Freephone helpline to find out what help and support is available. Claimants can also access the internet for free at their local Jobcentre, Council or library. If a claimant needs more intensive or specific support, face-to-face and other help is available through our current Universal Support Assisted Digital service offer, which provides bespoke help, support and skills for claimants to make and maintain their digital account online.Universal Credit has been designed with accessibility in mind and we are committed to providing personalised support for all claimants, including vulnerable groups, so we ensure that we make reasonable adjustments to meet claimant’s individual needs to allow them to access our services and information. This means that for example, the Department can communicate with customers in a variety of different formats such as Braille, audio, large print, or by arranging for a member of staff to visit the customer in their home.

Universal Credit: Disability

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of support available to disabled people while making a claim for Universal Credit in the natural migration process.

baroness buscombe: We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people who claim UC to ensure that it is supportive and responsive to their needs. Where claimants are unable to make or manage their claim on-line, telephone and face to face support to support these claimants. In exceptional circumstances, home visits can be arranged for those claimants whose disability prevents them from attending their local Jobcentre or accessing telephone and online services. For those claimants requiring help, assistance is available through Assisted Digital Support, part of our Universal Support offer. This provides help, support and skills claimants need to make and maintain their digital account online. Universal Support also includes a Personal Budgeting Support component, which is delivered via face to face by Local Authorities. Additionally, online support is available via Money Manager, a Money Advice Service tool. We have also increased the numbers of Disability Employment Advisers who now provide additional support to the work coaches so they can better personalise support as we continuously improve the offer available.

Universal Credit

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the monthly estimates of new claims to Universal Credit through natural migrationbefore July 2020.

baroness buscombe: We cannot predict precisely when a claimant’s circumstances will change as this will be due to a significant change of circumstances that would have caused a new claim to be made to a different legacy benefit. Claimants cannot make a claim to legacy benefits, as these have been replaced by Universal Credit, with national roll-out completed last month.

Universal Credit

baroness healy of primrose hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of demand for home visits during the managed migration process; and what resource is available to ensure that this service is accessible to all those that need it.

baroness buscombe: The Department has made no special assumptions for home visits for claimants going through managed migration. Between April 2017 and March 2018 290,000 cleared home visit referrals were made across all the Departments service lines. To ensure all claimants are supported, the Department has allocated additional funding for the home visiting service. This year we have allocated £1 million of funding for the home visiting service. For 2019/20 the total fund allocated will rise to just under £2 million, and will continue to increase to over £5.5 million per year by 2023/24, reflecting the increase in the total number of claimants of Universal Credit whether through managed migration or from other sources.

Universal Credit

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they anticipate take-up of income-related benefits to improve after the roll out of Universal Credit; if so, what improvement they anticipate; and over what time period.

baroness buscombe: We anticipate a further 700,000 households will get entitlements they were not claiming under the legacy system, worth on average £285 per month as Universal Credit is a more accurate system and will ensure people will receive the right entitlement. Within the legacy system, there are £2.4bn of unclaimed benefits not taken up by people who need them.

Universal Credit

baroness donaghy: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure that a claimant deemed to be vulnerable will not have their legacy benefits stopped before a Universal Credit claim is completed under the managed migration process.

baroness donaghy: To ask Her Majesty's Government what engagement they have undertaken with disabled people, their families and carers as to how the managed migration process for Universal Credit will work.

baroness buscombe: The Department is committed to delivering managed migration in a way which supports all claimants, including the most vulnerable. We are currently working with a large and diverse range of stakeholders, including those who focus on disability, to design our migration processes and in 2019 we will begin the pilot phase of managed migration to ensure that these processes work for everyone. The revised draft regulations, laid on 5 November 2018, now provide that we must give claimants a minimum of three months in which to make a claim for Universal Credit and sets no maximum period in which a claim must be made. With unlimited flexibility to extend claim periods we will work with representative groups to produce guidance that will ensure adequate support for each individual claimant’s needs. Some of these circumstances may include the following: where a claimant is having trouble completing the Universal Credit claim;the claimant cannot make a Universal Credit claim by the deadline day because they have to go or have gone into hospital;the work coach or case manager has not got enough information from the claimant so needs to give the claimant more time to get the information to us;the claimant has a mental-health condition; orthe claimant is disadvantaged because they are homeless, have a disability, have had a domestic emergency or have caring responsibilities. This list is not exhaustive and each case will be considered on its individual circumstances and merits.

Home Office

Immigration: EU Nationals

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether and how indefinite leave to remain granted to successful applications under the current voluntary settled status application scheme for EU citizens will be converted to a status under any new scheme in place under the withdrawal agreement following its ratification; and if there is a divergence between the rights granted under the current voluntary scheme and those granted under any scheme in place following the ratification of the withdrawal agreement, what will be the effect on the rights of persons who have been granted the right to remain under the current voluntary scheme.

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the effect on the applicant of a refusal of leave to remain under the current voluntary settled status application scheme for EU citizens; and whether a person who has received such a refusalwill have the right to make a new application under any settled status scheme in place following the ratification of the withdrawal agreement.

baroness williams of trafford: The UK immigration status granted under the EU Settlement Scheme to those participating in the test phases is legally secure and does not need to be converted to another status following the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement. There will be no divergence between the rights granted under the test phases of the scheme’s implementation and those granted under the scheme following the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement.An applicant who is refused status under the scheme during the test phases can submit a new application at any point before the 30 June 2021 deadline for the scheme set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. They will also retain any right of residence they may have under EU law until the end of the planned implementation period on 31 December 2020.

Crime

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of government time spent addressing (1) Islamophobia and (2) grooming gangs in the last 12 months.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse and hate crime. It is not possible to disaggregate the time spent on Islamophobia and child sexual exploitation as perpetrated by groups from wider work on hate crime and tackling child sexual abuse respectively.

Offences against Children

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether grooming gangs are still operating in Rotherham or elsewhere; and, if so, what steps they are taking to stop them.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government attaches the highest priority to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation. We know from our work with police forces that child sexual exploitation, as perpetrated by groups, still happens in many areas of the country and can manifest in different ways. We continue to prioritise child sexual abuse as a national threat, one of six such threats that require prioritisation by forces. We have provided significant extra investment through the Police Transformation Fund (PTF) to transform policing to respond to changing crimes and threats including crimes against vulnerable people such as child sexual abuse.Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) is satisfied that forces in England and Wales have identified child sexual exploitation as a priority within their work on organised crime.As a result of the attention given by police forces to this form of offending, we have seen a number of successful prosecutions in recent months, including in Rotherham and Huddersfield.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Business

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Institute of Directors' statement, with other business groups, against a "no deal" Brexit.

lord callanan: My Department continues to engage with businesses and representatives to understand their priorities and issues as we leave the European Union.Delivering the deal negotiated with the EU remains our top priority and is the best way of avoiding a no deal scenario. However, until MPs have voted to approve the deal and with 12 weeks until we leave the EU, we will continue to prepare for every eventuality. That is the responsible thing to do.We are clear that the UK will aim to minimise disruption for businesses in the short term, in a no deal scenario.We’ve published 106 technical notices, which provide important information for businesses and, following Cabinet’s agreement on Tuesday, will provide further detailed guidance for businesses to follow over the coming weeks.

Treasury

Service Charges: VAT

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the gain to HM Treasury from the introduction of VAT on the on-site staff based element of residential property service charges.

lord bates: The supply of any on-site staff to an individual, landlord or company has, since the inception of VAT, been a taxable supply. HMRC does not hold information to base an estimate of the receipts to HM Treasury from VAT charged on the onsite staff labour element of residential property service charges.

Cryptocurrencies

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to encourage the mining of crypto-currencies in the UK; and if so, what steps theyare taking to support such projects.

lord bates: The Government currently does not have any plans to encourage the mining of cryptoassets in the UK.